The Pittsburgh Pirates head into a three-game set in Miami needing their offense to look a lot more like it did before the All-Star break.
That series starts Aug. 11-13 at loanDepot Park, where Pittsburgh will meet the Marlins in a matchup that matters for both clubs in the National League Wild Card picture. The Pirates sit at 58-62, four games under .500 and six games back in the race. Miami is 60-59 and 3.5 games back.
The good news for Pittsburgh is the pitching matchups line up better than some of the recent ones have. The Pirates are set to see Marlins right-handers Eury Pérez, Jason Junk and Tyler Phillips over the three games.
That matters because left-handed starters have been a major problem for Pittsburgh all season, especially since the break. The Pirates are 10-26 against lefties overall, and just 2-9 post-All-Star break, with one win in their last eight games against them.
What Pittsburgh needs most, though, is a jolt from a lineup that was humming at the All-Star break and has gone cold since. In the second half, the Pirates are batting .229/.301/.351 for a .652 OPS, a steep drop from their first-half line of .263/.342/.426 and .768 OPS.
Bryan Reynolds and Esmerlyn Valdez have been part of that downturn. Reynolds is hitting .211/.290/.311 with a .601 OPS, while Valdez has posted a .149/.370/.373 line and a .743 OPS. Valdez has only three hits in 38 at-bats, and his 14 walks against 19 strikeouts have been the main thing keeping his numbers afloat during the slump.
There have been some bright spots. Jake Mangum has given the Pirates steady production in center field, batting .284/.333/.398 for a .731 OPS. Brandon Lowe has also held his own at second base with a .280/.333/.476 line and an .809 OPS.
Nick Gonzales has been Pittsburgh’s best hitter, slashing .302/.316/.427 for a .743 OPS, though his defense has been an issue. Spencer Horwitz is back from injury, which is a plus for the group, but he has struggled in his first seven games back, hitting .136/.269/.182 for a .451 OPS.
Ronny Simon has brought a little life, going 5-for-18, and is expected to see most of his time at designated hitter or in a corner outfield spot. The Pirates are also hoping for anything they can get from Jacob Gonzalez, Jared Triolo and catcher Henry Davis, while Endy Rodríguez remains a future consideration as he deals with a hip injury.
Pittsburgh’s lineup should be built around a mostly left-handed and switch-hitting group against three right-handed starters. Valdez is back in right field after two starts in left, but he’ll be moved down to seventh as the Pirates try to ease some of the pressure on the rookie after his regular spot in the four hole.
Mangum, Lowe, Reynolds and Horwitz are expected to hit one through four, with Gonzales in the fifth spot. Simon is slated to bat sixth, Valdez seventh, Gonzalez eighth and Davis ninth.
In Other News...
Jake Mangum Is Taking Heat For A Much Bigger Pirates Problem
Jake Mangum has become an easy target in the wake of Oneil Cruzs injury, especially because his game is built on aggression and energy that can look messy when the results are uneven. Since getting more opportunity, he has shown enough offense to keep himself in the conversation, and for a Pirates club searching for anything stable, that has mattered more than the occasional rough edge in his approach.
The criticism, though, says as much about the larger mood around the roster as it does about Mangum himself. Pittsburghs problems have been deeper than one outfielders style of play, with pitching issues and a wave of injuries doing far more damage than any single lineup decision, and focusing on Mangum risks obscuring how many different things have gone wrong this season. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Let A Costly Fix For Their Lefty Problem Slip Away
The Pirates have spent much of the season trying to balance a strong bullpen against an offense that can go missing, especially when left-handed pitching is on the mound. That has made the search for right-handed help even more pressing, and it is why the clubs decision-making around bats has drawn extra attention as the lineup continues to look uneven from one series to the next. Rookie Esmerlyn Valdez has been mired in a slump, adding to the sense that Pittsburgh could use another answer in a spot where production has been hard to find.
Austin Hays looked like the kind of fit that could have eased some of that pressure, given his track record against lefties and the sort of depth he might have provided in a platoon role. Instead, the opportunity moved on without the Pirates, and Hays has already settled in with the Padres. For a club still trying to patch together offense, letting that type of short-term fix slip away only sharpens the focus on how thin the margin can be when one side of the matchup keeps giving this lineup trouble. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Front Office Now Owns A Promise Fans Wont Forget
Travis Williams put the timeline on the record, and Pirates fans heard it loud and clear. The team president publicly set making the playoffs as the goal for the 2026 season, a statement that raised expectations around a club that has spent years trying to convince its fan base that better days are coming.
By August, the gap between the promise and the standings has only made the mood more restless. Pittsburgh has dropped six straight series, sits 5.5 games out of the final National League Wild Card spot and has just a 7% chance of getting in, a backdrop that helped fuel chants of "Sell the team" during a recent game. For a front office that tied its own credibility to postseason progress, the pressure is now coming from the stands as much as the box score. [Read more 🡒]